Midnight Blue, Vol. 5: Porn King

James Guardino

Overview

"Blue Underground's DVD of Midnight Blue, Vol. 5: Porn King may be the most impressive disc in this series. In terms of audiovisual quality, it definitely offers the best-looking image and sound of the series. Porn King looks great thanks to skillful digital-video cinematography and boasts a stereo soundtrack that sounds pretty nice for a documentary. There's only one item in the bonus material area, but thankfully it is a substantial and memorable extra. ""The Last Days of Midnight Blue"" is a 45-minute collection of Al Goldstein's to-the-camera rants from the last year of Midnight Blue. Like Porn King itself, this compilation is by turns darkly funny and mortifying as the events of the court case cause Goldstein to devolve from a boisterous rabble-rouser to a tired, half-crazed wreck. In short, this a solid disc that offers an excellent, handsomely presented feature attraction and a worthwhile bonus feature on the side. As a result, it's a must for anyone interested in Midnight Blue or the dangers of the adult-entertainment business."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/27/2006
UPC:	0827058500593
Original Release:	2006
Source:	Blue Underground
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:17:00
Sales rank:	47,091

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Technical Credits

James Guardino

Director

Editorial Reviews

The final entry in Blue Underground's Midnight Blue collection isn't a compilation like the rest of the series. Instead, it is a full-length documentary on the court case that ultimately destroyed the show and show host Al Goldstein's Screw Magazine empire. As it chronicles the tragicomic events of the case, Midnight Blue, Vol. 5: Porn King soon reveals that it is also a rich character study. Director James Guardino wisely gives Goldstein plenty of room to dominate the proceedings and he fills the running time with an egotistical, combative persona that is by turns hilarious and terrifying. Whether he is badmouthing his court opponents to the press or turning up for sentencing dressed in a prisoner outfit, Goldstein's self-destructive odyssey takes the viewer through a roller-coaster journey of emotions -- from amusement to revulsion, from fear to pity. Even those with no interest in the adult-entertainment industry are likely to find Midnight Blue, Vol. 5: Porn King fascinating because it provides a real-life cautionary tale that is truly stranger than fiction.